Milestones
by par-ic
Summary: Warrick reminisces on the milestones in his life with Catherine.
1. Introductions

I know I haven't written anything in a while, but I'm working on it. My little inspiration bunny has finally returned.

No beta.

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**Milestones**

At first it was just a look, a series of flirtatious visages. But that was before we had worked our first case together; when we had just been introduced.

"_I'm glad you chose the night shift. We could use the extra pair of hands," Gil Grissom's slightly monotone voice spoke to me as we walked down the halls of the lab. "I apologize on Jim's part; he's stuck in a meeting."_

"_No problem, man. It comes with the job, I guess. _My younger years proceeded my present time attitude.

"_Politics," Grissom shrugged. We turned another corner before he spoke again. _

"_I have someone I'd like you to meet. She's a good friend of mine, who is also on the team." I didn't smile, I'd seen plenty of women in this line of work, most of which were so emotionally drawn from the job that it took away from their personality. Man was I wrong. _

_Grissom pushed a door open, revealing an amazing shock. She was bent over a metal table, placing a bag of evidence on the far corner. Everything about her was attractive, and drastically different from the ones before: body, hair, face, makeup, clothes; and I didn't even know her name. _

"_Hey Gil," her velvet smooth voice greeted her colleague. "Who's this?" she flashed her pearly whites at me._

"_Warrick Brown." I extended my hand towards her._

"_Catherine Willows," she retorted, my grin matching hers. Our hands were still connected when Grissom broke the moment. _

"_Great, now for the grand tour." He looked at his watch, "which will have to be fast; tonight's a busy one."_

After that I would only pass her in the halls or briefly in the break room, because I was the rookie and could only work under Grissom or Brass. Then one night, when the case work-unlike the paperwork-was light, I was assigned an easy case, or, what started as one.

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I know it's short. I'm sticking to my view of many small chapters is better than one SUPER long one-shot. Drop me a review?

Just for those who know what I'm talking about. YOU JUST LOST THE GAME. If you don't know what I'm talking about: www(dot)losethegame(dot)com. I couldn't resist.


	2. Open and Shut

This is the fastest I've ever updated a story. Whoo! It's short again, but longer than the last time. Drop me a review!

No beta.

P.S. Sorry for making you guys lose the game. Oh wait, you just lost again. (Fine I'll stop.)

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**Milestones**

After that I would only pass her in the halls or briefly in the break room, because I was the rookie and could only work under Grissom or Brass. Then one night, when the case-work-unlike the paperwork-was light, I was assigned an easy case, or, what started as one.

_I pulled up to the scene, next to an identical SUV; I followed all the protocols to the T: grab your kit, sign in with the supervising investigator, and get to work. I was excited to work with Catherine, but at the same time, I was tired of being given the open and shut cases. _

_I followed Catherine up to the door, as she signed in, she shot me a look, and it was so quick that I couldn't read her. We surveyed the scene, looking for the tiniest of details others would otherwise miss. When I knelt down next to a broken window, a strong smell overcame my senses._

"_I thought they cleared the scene," I told Catherine, then watched her eyebrows furrow and as she inhaled deeply._

"_They supposedly did." She pulled out her gun and held it to her side, a precautionary measure, and moved towards the back of the house. Yet to take my weapons test, I followed on high alert. Catherine checked in each of the rooms, all of who's doors were open, before arriving at a closed one. _

"_Wait here," she told me after discovering the door lead to a stair case. _

_I had no choice but to listen and wait, while smelling a semi-fresh decomposing body and a lit match, while wondering if Catherine was in any danger._

_Just as the though crossed my mind, I heard a loud thump, then the pounding footsteps of someone running up the stairs. Unsure of what to do, I stood to the side of the hallway, hoping it was Catherine running up the stairs. Wrong._

_The man sprinted past me, and with no gun to aid me, I did not chase him, instead I opted for "Suspect on location!" Then I moved down the stairs, taking them two at a time. _

_At the bottom of the steps, Catherine's motionless body lay, her gun a few feet away. I knelt down to check her pulse-it was strong. I blew out a sigh of relief after checking for any injuries and finding none, other than the large amount of blood coming from a small cut on her head. _

_Looking around, the basement lights illuminating the room, I found that the smell was coming from the dead body in the corner. The match I had smelt lie a few feet from it. What looked like an open gun box sat on the work bench on my left. _

_I could hear the police outside yelling and a few shots fired but I was mostly concerned with Catherine's well being. As I looked her over, I discovered that the cut was superficial at worst, a swollen bump soon to come. It looked as if she had been pistol whipped. _

That night changed a lot of things in my life. One of them being I always carried a gun with me to any scene. The other being more on the subconscious level. I found that I had become more protective of Catherine. Luckily she didn't seem to mind. The more I worked with her and learned her little quirks and details about her life the more interested I became. At one point I had gathered the courage to ask her out.

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To be continued...


	3. Hit a Nerve

I've realized there might be a little bit of confusion. There are a few jumps in time going on in between the milestones, and I feel it makes for a better flow by not naming them exactly.

No beta.

And a special thanks goes out to wendysam, for being the only one to review this little comeback story of mine. I know there are more of you out there. Please start reviewing.

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**Milestones**

That night changed a lot of things in my life. One of them being I always carried a gun with me to any scene. The other being more on the subconscious level. I found that I had become more protective of Catherine. Luckily she didn't seem to mind. The more I worked with her and learned her little quirks and details about her life the more interested I became. At one point I had gathered the courage to ask her out.

"_Hey, Warrick" her airy voice floated to my ears as I strode into the break room. _

"_Hi, Catherine" I shot a flirtatious smile at her before moving onto the coffee pot. After, filling a glass for myself and Catherine, who, I had noticed, didn't have one as of yet. _

_She smiled gratefully at me as I handed it to her. I sat down across from her, took a drink of the scalding liquid, burning my mouth slightly. I realized that my heart was beating slightly faster than normal. But then again, I had been working up the nerve ask Catherine a question. _

"_Why are you looking at me like that?" Catherine's voice startled me out of my thoughts. _

"_Huh? Oh, sorry. Just thinking," my excuse was lame, and she knew it. _

"_About?" She was going to exploit the topic until I told her exactly what was going on. _

"_How to ask out a woman I've been interested in for a while," Two could play at the cat and mouse game. Catherine's smirk fell from her face. I could tell it wasn't the answer she was looking for. _

"_Oh. Well it can't be that hard to do."_

"_No, this one's different. She means a lot to me, Cath," this was getting to be a strange conversation. Catherine's face fell even more. She looked almost disappointed. _

"_Well, you could try being blunt. Just say something along the lines of: I have feelings for you, would you like to have dinner with me." She half-assed her advice. It seemed that I had hit a nerve. _

"_Okay, I'll give it a try." Why not? "Catherine, I have feelings for you, would you like to have dinner with me?"_

_Catherine looked shocked. She really hadn't seen that coming. It wasn't every day you surprised Catherine Willows. When the question sunk in she looked at me sweetly. _

"_I'd love to." _

Luckily for us, with the chemistry we shared, that first date went extremely smoothly. Since then we had been nearly inseparable. She was the first woman that I had become completely committed to in a relationship. The only thing we really fought about was whether or not to tell the team. She didn't think it was a good idea. Although, she didn't really have a choice when we got caught in the act.

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Alright, you know the drill. I write faster the more reviews that I get.


	4. Closet Time

So, I only got one review, but it was from someone I recognized, so I guess that inspired me to write a longer, saucier, chapter. Enjoy!

No beta!

Thanks to PugNTurtle for the review.

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**Milestones**

Luckily for us, with the chemistry we shared, that first date went extremely smoothly. Since then we had been nearly inseparable. She was the first woman that I had become completely committed to in a relationship. The only thing we really fought about was whether or not to tell the team. She didn't think it was a good idea. Although, she didn't really have a choice when we got caught in the act.

"_Hey, babe," I said as I walked into the almost empty break room. _

"_Shh! Didn't we just talk about this?" She whispered, almost too loudly to be called a whisper. I nodded and did my best to look apologetic. That was another argument I was not willing to have again. I watched her look out the door, checking to see if anyone was coming, before returning her attention to me. _

"_Do you know what day it is?" she asked, her seductive tone coming into play. I smiled as she moved closer to me. _

"_Tuesday?" Greg interrupted. Catherine immediately pretended to have intentions other than turning me on in the middle of the lab. _

_I cleared my throat and sat down in the nearest chair. "Soon to be Wednesday, in about ten minutes."_

"_Cool, that means shift is half-way over," Greg announced before starting a pot of his special Hawaiian Blue. "Good thing we aren't doing anything."_

_I snuck a quick look at Catherine, who as embarrassed as I knew she was, only gave me an 'I told you so' look in return. _

"_Not so fast." Grissom's voice floated in as he, Nick, and Sara piled their way into the room. Greg groaned. _

"_Catherine, Nick, and Sara, you have a triple off the strip. As for you two," Grissom motioned towards Greg and me, "I need that paper work on my desk as soon as you can. Cath, if you guys need it, they are your back up." And with that he was gone. _

"_I'll, uh, meet you guys in the car. I've got to grab something from my locker," Catherine told Sara and Nick, who were on their war out of the door. _

"_I'm driving!" Sara called from down the hall. I laughed quietly to myself: There is no way Catherine would let that happen. _

"_To the desk!" Greg announced to me as he grabbed his cup and fled the room. I stood and as casually as I could make it seem, walked into the locker room. _

_There I found Catherine had already changed and was waiting for me. _

"_Took you long enough," she grinned. I was a little annoyed, and she was trying to play it down._

"_This sucks. I'd rather be at home celebrating the one year anniversary with my girlfriend."_

"_So would I. At the rate this night seems to be headed, we'll be pulling a double."_

_I leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips before both of us left for our separate assignments._

_My paper work was finished, and was sitting in a pile on Grissom's desk. The rest of the team was just getting back from distributing the evidence to the lab rats. They hadn't needed my help, so I, once again, found myself bored with no work to be done. My phone began to buzz in my pocket, telling me I had a text message waiting. _

**_Meet me in the break room. G, S, N in autopsy. -C_**

_Which meant, aside from lab technicians, and Grissom, who showed no signs of leaving his office any time soon, Catherine and I were somewhat alone. When I walked into the room, I had just caught a glimpse of red hair before hearing the closest door close. I smirked to myself, before following Catherine into the storage closet. _

"_Hey," I said, keeping my voice low. She turned around in the spacious room looking straight at me. _

"_If we are going to work through today, we might as well have a little fun," her playful grin told me we weren't in here to play board games. And I was all for what she had in mind, but we both knew everyone would soon be back. _

_She reached up on the tip of her toes and gave me a gentle kiss. I pulled her close to me, deepening the kiss. We hadn't gotten very far in the few minutes it took before I could hear laughter from outside the door. _

_Catherine pulled away from me, muttering expletives as she pulled her shirt back on. Once she had adjusted it to her liking we snuck a look out of the door. _

"_Okay, we caught you guys, come on out," Nick told us, trying to hold back his laughter. Slowly we opened the door and moved out. Catherine's face was beat red; I looked around at the trio of people nervously. Greg whistled, earning a death glare from the both of us. _

"_What did I miss?" Grissom asked as he walked in, seeing three people in hysterics and Catherine and I looking like deer in head lights._

Let's just say, neither of us was allowed to live that one down for a while. But that embarrassment wasn't half as bad as when Lindsey had caught us. It was only a few months after I had moved into their two story home. Before long I found myself thinking more and more about settling down; making an even bigger commitment. With things going as well as they were, and the team's full support behind us, I didn't want to change a good thing. After one of Nick's legendary pep talks, I made my final decision.

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Review or I stop. No more Ms. Nice Author.


	5. Pillow Talk

Sorry for the delay, but my weekend was crazy! Just a little warning: There is so much fluff in this chapter, let alone the story. Thank you for the increase in amount of reviews, even if it was mostly from one person.

I'd like to thank Amanda, for her motivating review and betaing. I'd also like to thank Kaye for all her help. Without these two, there wouldn't even be a story.

Enjoy!

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**Milestones**

Let's just say, neither of us was allowed to live that one down for a while. But that embarrassment wasn't half as bad as when Lindsey had caught us. It was only a few months after I had moved into their two story home. Before long I found myself thinking more and more about settling down; making an even bigger commitment. With things going as well as they were, and the team's full support behind us, I didn't want to change a good thing. After one of Nick's legendary pep talks, I made my final decision.

_The level of nervousness I was experiencing was nothing I'd felt before. I reached behind me, grabbed a small square box from the night stand. Quickly, I brought it around to my line of vision, then stowed it away underneath my pillow. For a while I watched Catherine sleep, my elbow on top of the pillow, and my head supported by my hand. _

_Even as she slept she was beautiful. Everything about her was. I had never fallen so hard for a woman in my life. Everyday with her was an adventure, whether it included work, her daughter, or anything in between. None of her flaws mattered, I only saw perfection. And lucky for me, she looked past mine as well. I could only hope-with high expectations- that she said yes. _

_Catherine began to stir, rolling over to face me as she awoke. Her eyes opened and the corner of her lips tugged up into a smile when she saw me staring. _

"_Good morning sleepy head," I greeted her, matching her smile. My nerves dissipated at the sight of the sleep riddled look she gave me. _

"_Morning." She yawned and mirrored my position. "So, what do you have planned for our day off?" _

_I grinned mischievously, "How 'bout we stay in bed all day?" She let out a small laugh, putting her hand on my side. I reached under the pillow, extracting the little black box, then set it on the bed in front of me, propping the lid open with my thumb. Using my free hand, I pulled Catherine's left from its resting spot on my hip, and sat up against the head board. A small gasp escaped Catherine's lips before she sat up with me. _

"_Will you marry me?" I asked her. Suddenly, my nerves bubbled up again, while I awaited her response. Her smile grew exponentially; I placed the simple, yet sparkling ring on her finger. _

"_Of course. I love you, Warrick," She said in the most calm, loving voice. _

_I pulled her in for a kiss, once we separated, she lay against me for a few minutes. I looked down as she shifted, now looking right at me. _

"_Promise me this won't be anything like my marriage to Eddie." Her statement left me shocked. _

"_Why would you eve-" She cut me off._

"_I know. You are nothing like him; we are nothing like that. But please just promise me," Catherine audibly sighed as she lay back against my chest. _

_At first I was taken back by the suggestion that I was anything like the man she was once married to, but after hearing how much it had affected her, I knew it was nothing more than needing peace of mind. _

"_I promise." _

_She leaned up and kissed me again, this time with more passion than before. I moved from underneath her, laying her flat on the bed, effectively pinning her down. She laughed slightly at my smooth maneuver before our lips crashed together once again. _

With the big question out of the way, all that was left to do was plan. Unfortunately, work always seemed to get in the way. Just when we had some down time to talk and think about the wedding, another serial killer would come out of hiding, leaving us with multiple double shifts. Little did the two of us know, but an even bigger surprise was just around the corner.

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So, what do you think the surprise is? Reviews are loved and make me write faster.


	6. On the Way

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long. The weekend plus some family problems kept me from updating. Not only that, but I wasn't sure how to go about this. There were many different choices.

Amanda is my beta!

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**Milestones**

With the big question out of the way, all that was left to do was plan. Unfortunately, work always seemed to get in the way. Just when we had some down time to talk and think about the wedding, another serial killer would come out of hiding, leaving us with multiple double shifts. Little did the two of us know, but an even bigger surprise was just around the corner.

_It was close to the end of shift, and I was in the women's bathroom, with Catherine. I was holding her hair back while she gripped the side of the toilet from her position on her knees. She was emptying her stomach for the second time that morning. _

"_Alright, I think that's it for now," she told me. I released her hair and helped her stand up. I would have been slightly worried if it wasn't the fifth time it had happened this week. While she was washing her hands I looked her up and down, studying her appearance. _

_Catherine's shirts had become tighter around her middle-well, tighter than normal. Then there was the vomiting early in the morning, and the fact that she had been eating more than her regular portions. I could only come to one conclusion: baby. _

"_Hey, do you thin…" She looked at me through the mirror with a cross face._

"_Don't even think about it."_

"_Whoa, no need to bite my head off! You know you were thinking it too." I moved across the short distance between us and pulled her close. "I wouldn't mind, you know."_

_She smiled at me in a way only she could and pressed herself against me. "Let's not do this here" she said, referring to where we were. _

"_Fine with me." As soon as the words left my mouth, both of our cell phones went off. _

"_Back to work." Catherine said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door._

_._

_The next day I met Catherine at her doctor's appointment. She was sitting on the edge of the pale pink examination bed while I stood next to her. Her doctor had finished examining her before leaving the room. _

_Catherine began to fidget with her hands, showing just how nervous she was. I grabbed one of her hands with my own and gave it a squeeze. _

"_Don't worry, babe, either way it's fine with me," I tried to reassure her, but my own nerves were running amuck in my body. So much so that what I said hadn't made much since to me. _

_There was a soft knock on the door before a short blonde woman entered the room. I felt Catherine squeeze my hand again. _

"_The test results came back," the doctor began to say, "Congratulations, you're pregnant." _

_A smile reached from ear to ear on both mine and Catherine's faces as we thanked the doctor. Catherine slid down from her perch before wrapping her arms around me._

Finding out that I was going to be a father could have very well been the happiest news I've ever gotten. With a baby on the way, Catherine placed us on the fast track to be married. I had no problem with that, in fact, I couldn't wait.

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Do you guys have any milestones for our lovely couple? Leave them in your review. Truth be told, I'm running out of fluffy ones.


	7. Flowers and Champagne

Hey guys, sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I went on vacation for a week. Amanda is still the beta. I'm afraid this story is coming to an end very soon. Enjoy, and remember to drop a review.

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**Milestones**

Finding out that I was going to be a father could have very well been the happiest news I've ever gotten. With a baby on the way, Catherine placed us on the fast track to be married. I had no problem with that, in fact, I couldn't wait.

_The sun was shining, warming my skin. It wasn't too hot; 'perfect' as Catherine described it that morning. For some reason I was abnormally calm. I had figured I would be nervous, or jittery even, but no. I stood in the back yard of the house-a friend of Lily's let us borrow it for the wedding-watching as the caterers set up the tables. There weren't many: one for Catherine, Lindsey, Lily and I, one for the team, one for the lab rats, and a few others for friends of ours outside of work. _

_I looked up toward the second story of the house where I could see through the window as Lily moved across the room where Catherine was getting ready. I turned as a few of the guests walked in through the back gate. I greeted them as they walked past me. _

_Things started to blur as more people showed up. I looked up as someone put a drink in my hand. Grissom stood before me with a smile on his face. _

"_For the nerves," he told me. I set down the glass on the table in front of me before looking back at my boss. _

"_Actually, I'm fine. But thanks." A few moments passed as I looked at the guests conversing. _

"_When you first came to the lab, did you ever think this would be happening?" Grissom asked me. I looked at him, then back to the group of people. _

"_Naw," I said, shaking my head, "I came here with a gambling problem and nothing to lose."_

_I felt Grissom look at me, trying to figure me out like a crime scene. I looked at him with a questioning look on my face. _

"_I saw it coming."_

_Before I could respond, the DJ spoke into his microphone, asking everyone to sit down. The twenty-five-ish people there filed their way across the yard, to the chairs that were set up in front of where the priest stood. I took my place in front of them, looking at Lindsey and her grandmother sitting in the front row. The rest of the team sat next to them. In an attempt to keep things simple, Catherine and I decided on no bridesmaids or groomsmen or anything of the sort. _

_The quiet murmurs stopped and the guests stood and turned. Catherine walked down the aisle, a smile plastered from ear to ear, and a five-month-along baby bump showing through. She looked amazing, in her white gown and curled hair. I fleetingly thought of how I would take the beauty of a just-woken-up-hair-in-a-messy-bun-dressed-in-sweats Catherine equally. _

_Before I knew it, she was in front of me on the altar, holding my hands. We smiled at each other, listening to the priest's speech, and then reciting our vows. When the ceremony was over, and we were all sitting at our designated tables, Catherine and I finally got a chance to talk._

"_How're my baby girls?" I asked sweetly, placing my hand over Catherine's stomach. _

"_I'm great," Catherine leaned in and left a lingering kiss on my lips. She covered my hand with her own, "but this one's a little hungry."_

"_Did you eat as much as you do now with me?" Lindsey teased. Catherine shot her a mock glare. _

"_More, I think," Lily added in her two cents. I couldn't help but chuckle. Catherine's appetite had been somewhat of a running joke. _

_Right before the food was served, the photographer asked Catherine and me to take a picture with each table. We made our way around the yard, finally coming to the team's table. _

"_Hey, lovebirds," Greg piped up as we approached. _

"_Hi, Greggo. Are you guy's having a good time?" Catherine asked._

"_Of course, Cath. You look beautiful," Sara praised. We posed for the picture, then went back to talking. _

"_One of these days, I'll have to get Grissom to pop the question," Sara continued with Catherine off to the side._

_I heard Catherine joke quietly, referring to the baby, "How do you think I got Warrick to?" _

_I shook my head and turn my attention back to Nick. "I see you've got your eyes on one of Catherine's old friends." _

_He laughed and shook it off, "Maybe. Having fun?" _

_I nodded and assessed myself. "Actually I feel like I could run a marathon," I pulled at my jacket, "just not in this thing."_

_Catherine grabbed my arm and we walked to an area in front of the guests. _

"_Look at the lovely couple," the DJ began to speak, "I bet they've got a nice group of friends backing them up, who I'm sure would love to say something."_

_Greg stood; I rolled my eyes, this was going to be good. _

"_So I guess I can't hit on her anymore, Rick?" he joked. Catherine and I both laughed at him, I said, "No," through the laughter. "Well, anyway, I think I speak for the entire team when I say 'who didn't see this coming?' We love you guys and wish you well. Oh, and have fun on your honeymoon." Sara pulled on his shirt, signaling him to stop talking and sit. _

_Lily stood next. _

"_Catherine, no matter how grown up you are, you will always be my baby girl. But I'm glad to share you with Lindsey, and now, of course, Warrick. Treat her well." She directed the last part to me. I smiled in return, placing my arm over Catherine's shoulders. _

_When the last stragglers were leaving the reception, Catherine turned to me and pulled me aside. She kissed me deeply. When we pulled apart, I held her body against mine. _

"_Perfect, just like you said," I said before kissing the top of her head. _

Married life with Catherine was just as good as, if not better than, before. Things went right back to a normal, calm state. Work was put on hold for Catherine while she went on maternity leave, yet, true to her nature, still came to the lab quite frequently. This, of course, was where she happened to be when it was 'time'.

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Please review.


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